Page 43 of Those Fatal Flowers

Now Thomas is furious, but despite my wishes, he doesn’t charge again. The two circle each other, their chests heaving. The vapor from their combined breaths cocoons them in a haze. They orbit each other like that for what feels like hours, but then Thomas cracks. He throws a fist at Will’s face that connects squarely with Will’s left eye, and then he sends his other fist into Will’s jaw. The blow splits open Will’s lip, and a trail of blood flies through the air.

“Stop!” I shriek. “You’re not allowed to strike each other!”

But my words have little effect. Will’s doubled over, one hand holding his face, the other propping himself up against his knee. Thomas uses the time to sidle behind him, and with one swift movement, he wraps a muscular arm around Will’sneck and begins to squeeze. For a few painful moments the only sound is Will’s gasps for air; his face turns a sickening shade of red.

“Enough!” I say. “That’s enough!”

But no one moves to stop them. Even Cora seems resigned, for she’s turned away to bury her head in Emme’s shoulder.

And then Will’s body goes limp. The blood rushes to my head, but I see what Thomas doesn’t: Will’s feigning his defeat, and Thomas, convinced of his victory, loosens his grip. The exact moment he does, Will grabs hold of Thomas’s arm, his left hand atop Thomas’s elbow and his right on Thomas’s wrist, and then he throws his weight to the left. It opens enough space between their two bodies for Will to strike the top of Thomas’s right thigh with his right fist.

Thomas is shocked by the sudden hit and looks down to see the cause. As he does so, Will swiftly raises his right arm back up and connects his elbow with Thomas’s jaw with a sickeningcrack. The blow is enough to force Thomas to release him, and when he does, Will whirls around and gives him one final, forceful shove into the ground. Thomas lands on his back with a loudthump.

It’s time to end this now, before any other surprises occur.

“That’s three!” I scream. “Will is the winner!”

The crowd, equally unsettled, remains quiet.

Thomas’s face flickers as he processes the unlikely turn ofevents, but Will spins around and extends him a hand. Thomas takes it and rises to his feet, and Will claps his shoulder. The two lock eyes, and neither one speaks until Thomas erupts into an exaggerated smile. It chills me, but it has the opposite effect on most of the crowd. Lulled into a sense of security, they go wild with applause. Except for the women. Though smiles grace their lips, their eyes are all haunted.

“Congratulations on a good fight, Will!” Thomas says. Will looks unsure but ultimately nods, apparently deciding to believe him. Then Thomas releases Will’s hand and turns to the crowd, sweeping his arms open as if to invite the entire square into an embrace. “Shall we celebrate?”

I try to reach for Cora, but I lose her in a sea of people swelling to the meetinghouse. I’m handed a goblet of ale the second I cross the threshold. Someone is already playing a stringed instrument, its music upbeat and lively. If this were any other day, I’d be tempted to ask its player to show it to me, but my eyes are already scanning the room for familiar faces. Elizabeth, Elyoner, and Rose flock to me, followed by Margery, who looks as shaken as I feel.

“Where’s Cora?” My voice betrays my concern. Rose lowers her eyes, and Elyoner excuses herself. They all know how furious she must be, and it’s clear as day in the way they worry at their lips and fingernails that, on some level, they find me responsible. Indignation at the injustice of their blame paints my cheeks red, but it burns as brilliantly and as quickly as a falling star. This is my fault, after all. Without my curse, without me, none of this would have happened.

“There.” Margery tilts her head to the back corner of the room. “But give her some space for now.”

I follow the motion of her nod. Cora’s back is to me, but her posture is rigid. Thomas, with his exaggerated smile, is visible from over her shoulder as he offers all sorts of explanations to placate her. I wish I could see her face, Ineedto see her face, to know if she believes his words. But how can she? He’s just exposed the undeniable fact that her feelings matter very little to him, and he’s done it before the entire colony.

Besides the cloud over the two of them, the mood is jovial.A few couples begin to dance, and even Agnes giggles over her glass of ale, though it’s hard to believe her upbeat attitude is anything more than an elaborate farce. It’s more likely that she’s already divining some scheme or another, but there’s no need for that. I’ll allow Thomas to join us on our trip back to Scopuli, along with any other willing men. But what of Cora and the other women I’ve come to know?

I sip my own drink and scan the crowd. I don’t know who I’m looking for until I find Will’s face, but when I do, a wave of relief, of gratitude, floods over me. It feels strange, to be this happy to see a man all right. But his intervention is the only reason I haven’t lost Cora entirely, a fact that endears him to me more than I care to admit. If Thomas had won, she would rightfully despise me. But he didn’t, thanks to Will. Will smiles when he finds me staring, and he slides through the crowd to meet me, taking my hand into his.

“Want to dance?” he asks, a single green eye glittering. The other is purple and swollen shut, and the skin across his neck is still raw from Thomas’s choke hold. His clothes are torn and covered in filth from being thrown to the ground. Will is an attractive man, but currently, he looks pitiful.

“Absolutely not!” I reach to touch just below his bruised socket. He winces and jerks his head away from my fingers. “Let’s find something cold to put on this…”

“I’ve had worse, Lady Thelia. It’s all right. The best remedy is a dance.” I open my mouth to protest, but he’s already pulling me toward the dance floor.

“No, Will!” I say, moving quickly to keep the sloshing ale in the goblet away from my expensive dress. “I don’t know the steps!”

“You, my queen, don’t need to,” he says, and the next thing I know, we’re spinning around the circle, my drink sprayingas we go. The room becomes a blur of color, with Will’s smile the only thing in focus.

In the cacophony of the celebration, and with the kiss of alcohol on everyone’s breath, it’s almost easy to forget that he hasn’t won my hand in marriage or the treasure of an ancient kingdom, but rather a horrific death by my hand.

Does he deserve to be a sacrifice for our freedom? I think about how he watches Thomas with a desire he’ll never be able to name aloud, and against my better judgment, my heart softens for him.

But what about the story Cora told me about the indiscriminate slaughter of the people on the mainland? Will still chose to sail across the sea knowing what his predecessors did. And since arriving, not a single person has tried to right the violence their forebears wrought. Instead, they happily erect walls and point their weapons in the faces of those whose villages they razed, whose families they murdered.

“I need some air,” I say, pulling myself from Will’s arms. He releases me without question.

“Of course, Lady Thelia, but try not to linger—it’s unusually cold this year, and though the ale will warm your bones, don’t be deceived by it.”

I nod, touched by his thoughtfulness, and slip from the group to head outside to the meetinghouse’s southern edge. There are no people out here; my only company is the orange glow from the windows and the sounds of laughter and music that waft through the air. Will is right about the temperature. I hold myself tight to keep warm.

The sun is low in the sky, and pointed roofs pierce the twilight. In the eastern sky, my second dazzling full moon crests the horizon, painted orange by the last light of day. A shiver snakes up my spine, but the chill isn’t the cause. It’sthe anticipation of what’s to come: In the next few days, I’ll bring Will and as many men as the Council will allow to Scopuli. With any luck, we’ll break the curse well before the third full moon graces the sky. But then what? I could return here for the women and children, but would they want my help after the incredible cost they unknowingly paid for it? Would Cora?

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